Corinthians No 10 stays on the bench as the Netherlands exit the World Cup | OneFootball

On the night of this Monday (29), the Netherlands national team faced Morocco in the 2026 World Cup Round of 32 at El Gigante de Acero in Monterrey, Mexico, and drew 1-1. The Dutch goal was scored by Cody Gakpo. In the penalty shootout, they lost 3-2 and were eliminated. In the group stage, the Netherlands topped Group F with seven points — two wins and one draw — scoring 10 goals and conceding four.

Coach Ronald Koeman lined up the following team to start the match: Verbruggen; Van Hecke, Van Dijk and Nathan Aké (Koopmeiners); Dumfries, Gravenberch (Quinten Timber), Frenkie De Jong (De Roon) and Van de Ven (Jorrel Hato); Summerville, Cody Gakpo (Justin Kluivert) and Brobbey (Weghorst). The bench options were: Robien Roefs, Mats Wieffer, De Roon, Weghorst, Quinten Timber, Til, Reijnders, Malen, Lang, Koopmeiners, Kluivert, Jorrel Hato, Geertruida, Flekken and Memphis Depay.

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In the current World Cup edition, Memphis Depay has one assist in three matches played — Japan (2-2 – 20 minutes), Sweden (5-1 – 18 minutes played and one assist), and Tunisia (3-1 – 13 minutes played). In this match, however, Corinthians' number 10 was not used by the Netherlands coach during the 90 minutes or in extra time.

The first half between the Netherlands and Morocco saw the Oranje start at a higher tempo and push the Moroccans back into their own half, but at the same time they did not force any major saves from the opposing goalkeeper. As time went on, Morocco improved and forced two great saves from Verbruggen. The first came after a header at the near post and the second after a powerful shot from right-back Achraf Hakimi. The opening half ended after six minutes of stoppage time, with the two sides evenly matched.

The second half between the Netherlands and Morocco began with the Moroccans imposing themselves and looking superior, not allowing the Dutch to keep possession. In the opening minutes, Hakimi smashed a shot against the crossbar after receiving a pass near the byline on the right. Verbruggen got a touch on the ball. Midway through the second half, the Moroccans were still on top, forcing the Dutch to rely only on counterattacks. Verbruggen made at least two more saves, one from a corner delivered from the left and another after a shot from outside the box.

In the 25th minute, Koeman made two changes: Koopmeiners and Weghorst came on for Nathan Aké and Brobbey, respectively. Despite being second best in the match, it was the Netherlands who opened the scoring. Midway through the second half, after a flick-on to Summerville in midfield, he burst forward and set up Gakpo, who struck firmly and beat Bounou.

After taking the lead, the Netherlands managed to control the match a little better and began to prevent Morocco from getting forward too easily. In the final five minutes, Koeman made two more changes: Jorrel Hato and Quinten Timber came on for Van de Ven and Gravenberch. In stoppage time, Morocco equalized through center-back Diop after a cross from midfield.

Extra time

The opening minutes of extra time saw the Netherlands enjoy more possession and try to press in the attacking half. In the sixth minute, Verbruggen pulled off a miracle save after stopping a shot from the edge of the box. As time went on, the Moroccan team worked its way back into the match and restored balance to the contest in extra time.

In the second half of extra time, the match remained scrappy, balanced, and without many big chances for either side. In the 113th minute, the sixth and final substitution saw Gakpo leave the field for Kluivert. After 121 minutes, full-time: Netherlands 1-1 Morocco.

Penalties

Netherlands 2-3 Morocco

Memphis Depay’s current situation

Corinthians' number 10 is having a season below expectations. In 14 matches for Timão in 2026, he has one goal and one assist. Between late March and the end of May, Memphis was sidelined as he recovered from a grade 2 muscle injury suffered in a match against Flamengo in Itaquera in the eighth round of the Brasileirão.

Between the injury diagnosis and the start of the World Cup, Memphis Depay played in only two matches for Corinthians, one coming off the bench (Atlético-MG – Brasileirão) and the other starting (Platense-ARG – Conmebol Libertadores), but he was substituted by Fernando Diniz at halftime. He is under contract with Alvinegro until the end of July, and there is still no decision regarding his future at Parque São Jorge.

Memphis Depay’s numbers for Corinthians

Signed in September 2024 after not having his contract renewed by Atlético de Madrid of Spain, Memphis Depay arrived at Corinthians and immediately played a key role in the team’s surge in the previous Brazilian Championship edition (from the relegation zone to the Libertadores qualifying round), scoring seven goals and providing one assist in 11 matches in the national tournament.

Last season and at the start of this one, he was decisive in the title wins of the Campeonato Paulista (2025), Copa do Brasil (2025), and Supercopa do Brasil (2026), totaling two assists in those finals and playing an important role in the earlier knockout rounds. Wearing the Corinthians shirt, he has 20 goals and 15 assists in 79 matches.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.